Abstract:
This report describes a study to understand the mechanisms of wave propagation into the surrounding soil during pile installation of pile and the effects on piles installed in the near vicinity.Â
Typically, pile-driving is performed using impact or vibratory hammers. A significant amount of vibrations is generated during the construction procedure, leading to wave propagation in the ground. Under certain circumstances, the resulting vibrations can impair the quality of the fresh concrete in neighboring piles. In the case of a close arrangement of piles in a group, the strength development of the concrete can be disturbed, with respect to the frequency and amplitude of the induced vibrations, soil properties and pile arrangement.
A comprehensive field test has been executed in Hamburg, Germany where 3 groups of in-situ concrete driven piles (type: Franki Pile) have been installed in various distances and intervals. The piles and the surrounding subsoil have been instrumented and measurements were taken to observe the response of neighboring concrete piles under varying conditions, such as hammer weight, distance between piles, intermediate durations between concreting etc. The findings reveal distinct differences in the response of adjacent piles depending on these parameters, providing insights into the influence of installation techniques on structural stability and behavior of neighboring piles.
The goal of this study is to analyze and compare the effects of dynamic pile installation methods on adjacent piles, focusing on Franki piles. The measurements show that the magnitude of the vibrations recorded at the neighboring piles depends, among other things, on the distance between the piles as well as the age of the concrete in the existing piles. This investigation leads to the next phase of the study where the numerical analyses can be validated using the field test data.